


A Matter Of Caring

by AK_Qhyrstol



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Arthur Finds Out About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Court Sorceress Morgana (Merlin), Emotional Constipation, F/F, Getting Together, Good Morgana (Merlin), Gwen Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), M/M, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Merlin's Neckerchief (Merlin), Minor Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Morgana Knows about Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Uther Pendragon's A+ Parenting (Merlin), basically everyone knows about Merlin's magic except Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26012305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AK_Qhyrstol/pseuds/AK_Qhyrstol
Summary: Or: Five times Merlin cared for Arthur and one time Arthur cared for Merlin.(Not to say that Arthur doesn't always care for Merlin because let's face it, Arthur is always asking where Merlin is.)
Relationships: Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 307
Collections: Merthur Fics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Morgana never became evil in this because Merlin taught her how to control her magic. Morgause also dies because Merlin kind of kills her, but Arthur's too stupid to realise that. Enjoy. 
> 
> (This turned out way longer than it was supposed to be, dear god... Epilogue coming very soon!)

\ / \ / \ / \ / 1 \ / \ / \ / \ /

It had been a joke when Arthur had asked, “So, where are _my_ flowers?” Of _course_ it was a joke - just teasing Merlin for giving that bunch of wildflowers to Morgana. It was only natural that Merlin would eventually find interest in ladies, and Arthur knew Morgana was especially fair. (Although, he certainly did not mean that as anything other than an observation; the mere _thought_ of himself courting Morgana was nigh repulsive. She was practically his sister, for goodness’ sake!)

That did not stop Arthur from feeling a little downtrodden when he realised Merlin likely fancied her. But only because it might interfere with his duties as Arthur’s manservant! Merlin was already the most incompetent servant Arthur had had the displeasure of meeting. A lady involved would only make his quality of work poorer, which was absolutely _not_ acceptable.

As he continued to think about it, a dull ache started to grow in his chest, and he grew worried that he’d somehow injured himself without knowing. If it was infected, he’d have to go straight to Gaius - however, when he pulled his tunic up, there was no chest wound to speak of. Perhaps he was enchanted? That was a dangerous thought. Arthur decided to wait and see what happened before mentioning it to anyone, knowing that his father would go on an unneeded (or so he presumed) rampage.

After that, Arthur put the whole ordeal out of his mind, hoping that nothing would prompt for it to come up again. (Really, what his sister and Merlin did in their free time was none of his business.)

That was until he woke up one morning to Merlin’s cheerful “Rise and shine!” as he threw open the curtains. It was like any other day, but at the same time, it wasn't.

“Mmh,” Arthur groaned, hiding his face in one of his pillows.

“Get up, you lazy slug,” Merlin said, dragging the covers off his body.

Arthur sighed, still not mentally prepared to meet the day, but nevertheless, he rolled out of the warmth of his sheets, positioning himself so Merlin would slip on his tunic. Then he stumbled over to the table for breakfast- and immediately stopped when his eyes caught on something that hadn’t been there the night before.

A vase full of wildflowers was placed in the middle of the table, the small lavender buds in their full, springtime bloom. They seemed rather out of place in his room, which did not include any flowers to speak of. Not that he'd asked for it to be that way, it was just that... Usually, flowers would only be put in ladies' rooms.

He stared at it for a moment longer before asking Merlin where they had come from, for Arthur was at a loss of words. He had never _received_ flowers from someone before.

Suspiciously, Merlin kept silent, and when Arthur turned to look at him, his back was deliberately turned as he puttered about the room, doing some useless chore or something.

Finally sitting down for breakfast, Arthur ate his food quietly. But that did not stop him from sneaking glances at the flowers and the man responsible. 

The tips of his ears burning, but Arthur couldn’t help but smile, even if it was for a split second.

\ / \ / \ / \ / 2 \ / \ / \ / \ /

Today’s meeting was rough. Arthur’s failure to recapture some sorcerer or other had put King Uther into a foul mood. Arthur could practically _feel_ the man radiating his disappointment in him. It did not matter if three of Arthur’s best men had been severely injured in the pursuit of said sorcerer (as she had cast some spell that had caused an avalanche of boulders to rain down on them - Arthur had managed to escape with only a deep gash on his arm, but the others weren't as lucky). Arthur would only be a failure in his father’s eyes and there would never be any change in that.

Hurt began to build in his heart as he stalked his way to his chambers. Was there nothing he could do to please his father?

Throwing open the doors to his chambers, he caught Merlin changing the sheets of his bed.

“Pack, we’re going on another hunting trip,” Arthur ordered. Merlin started to protest but stopped short when he saw him.

Gods, did Arthur look the way he felt? He hoped not; even if King Uther’s cold dismissal still rang through his head, he did not wish to bother Merlin with such little things.

“I’ll have everything ready within the hour, sire,” Merlin said, finishing with Arthur’s sheets and moving to pack clothing for the trip, deducing it would probably be a longer one than usual.

Arthur nodded awkwardly in thanks before making himself scarce, thinking that a walk would do nicely to clear his thoughts for the time being.

When all was ready, they rode into the forest for a while on their horses (whilst Merlin complained that it was hurting his backside, but, ahem, _at least it's not as fat as yours)._ After a while, Arthur motioned Merlin to stop and they both dropped off from their horses' backs.

He spent the day’s hours enjoying the outdoors, all the while killing game and indulging in his regular banter with Merlin. It helped to distract him (as he knew that if he was trapped in silence and inactivity for too long he might end up doing something he regretted).

Eventually, Merlin suggested they set up camp for the night as it was quite late and the stars were starting to peep out through the darkened sky. Arthur readily agreed, satisfied with today’s success.

Presently, Arthur sat in front of the fire, warming himself and sitting in silence next to Merlin. Normally, Arthur would feel comfortable in such silence (relishing in it even because Merlin was a chatterbox), but now it only agitated him. 

Before long, Merlin asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Arthur knew exactly what he spoke of, but wasn’t sure of his answer, so he didn’t say anything.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Merlin added (unhelpfully).

“It was,” Arthur sighed.

“How?”

“I should’ve known what we were up against. Sorcerers are dangerous; they can manipulate their surroundings with only a few words.” Arthur looked into the flames. “It was an unfair fight to begin with. My men aren’t trained to be familiar with the workings of magic.”

“Ignorance of how magic works is not your fault, it’s your father’s.” Merlin pointed out.

“You know, I could have you arrested for saying that.”

“But we both know you won’t.”

Arthur glanced at Merlin briefly but decided he couldn’t keep it together if he looked him in the eye, so he looked down at his gloved fingers instead.

“I can never please him. My father.” Arthur clarified.

Merlin was silent, waiting for him to continue. Arthur struggled to find the words.

“Whatever I do - it’s not enough. For him.”

“Then why try? If it's always the same outcome, I mean.” Merlin inquired softly. Arthur could feel his gaze on him like a bright spotlight shining down from the heavens. Arthur hated feeling so vulnerable, bared open for Merlin to see and judge. 

“I don’t know. Maybe…” Arthur shook his head. “No. I don’t know.”

“If it matters to you at all, I think you’ll be a far better king than him.”

Arthur smiled a humourless smile. “How so?”

“Uther doesn’t care what happens to individual people, especially if they’re of the poorer class. He doesn’t care about the knights and if they get injured or die. He doesn’t care about the common folk. He doesn’t care about-” Merlin laughed- “Expendable, incompetent servants.”

“Merlin-”

“But _you_ do. You see something beyond the bigger picture. You see the people, not the kingdom. There can’t be a better person to rule than that.”

Arthur finally looked at him, almost as if trying to decipher whether Merlin truly meant the words he spoke (not that Arthur believed that Merlin would ever lie to him). But when Arthur saw the sincerity in Merlin’s eyes, his shoulders slumped down from their tense position and he could breathe freely again. 

“Thank you, Merlin,” he muttered quietly before grinning and nudging Merlin’s shoulder with his own. “Just think: when I become king you’ll likely have double the work to do.”

Merlin groaned, but Arthur could see that it was just an act. 

It was then that Arthur knew he would never have a truer friend than Merlin. Not until his dying days and even, perhaps, beyond.

\ / \ / \ / \ / 3 \ / \ / \ / \ /

Arthur was exhausted. He felt like he could collapse right here on this chair- But no, he still had work to do.

The sudden shortage of food and water was becoming frightening; people were dying and there was nothing he could do. It was his fault in the first place. Gods, if he had known that he would be the downfall of this kingdom - and even before he became king! - he would’ve left and never returned.

He could have become a farmer. Of course, he’d have to bring Merlin with him to do most of the work, but at least then he wouldn’t be alone. He would be far from responsibility. No one would look at him as if he were delicate - wasn’t that only for princesses? apparently not - he could be… normal.

But that seemed so far away now. Now he spent his nights distributing food to the people that came to Camelot - his father unaware, of course. He didn’t have to know. And besides, the king should serve the people and make sure they were happy above all. If there were no people to rule, the king was useless.

So he ran about all day, trying to do his best to keep everyone alive for a little longer until he could figure out something. 

When he drank from that goblet, he felt the fatigue he’d been carrying around for so long lift, and he nearly cried with relief, but the world went black far too quickly. He didn’t even get to say goodbye.

As he faded out of consciousness, he felt a pair of hands grab him before he fell.

_Merlin…_

“-you stupid idiot!” was the first thing he heard when he came to his senses again.

“‘Nd you’re as stupid as you are ugly.” Arthur groaned, rubbing his forehead. Gods, did he go to the tavern? Why was his head throbbing?

“Arthur!” Merlin exclaimed in shock, “You’re- you’re awake!”

“No, I’m obviously still asleep, _Mer_ lin. Of course I’m-” and that when he remembered he was supposed to be dead. “Aren’t I supposed to be-?”

“No. Well, yes, but it was only a sleeping draught.” Merlin hurriedly explained. “All the food and water’s back- oh, you’re probably starving, I’ll go get some-”

“Merlin, what is it?” Arthur asked, rubbing his aching eyes. Merlin stopped short.

“Merlin?”

“I just- You- Well, I couldn’t be sure-”

“What?”

“You could’ve died!” Merlin burst out.” And then who would- who would become king, Arthur? You should’ve just let me-”

Arthur held up a finger and Merlin fell silent again, panic in his eyes. 

“I’m still here, aren’t I? And if you were dead, who would serve me, Merlin? Honestly, the next time I hear George make another brass joke-”

The door to his chambers suddenly flew open. It was Leon.

“Sire! You’re alive!” he exclaimed. 

“Yes, last time I checked, anyway,” Arthur muttered the last part, causing Merlin to give a nervous laugh.

“Breakfast, Merlin?”

“Oh, about that-”

“Sire, it’s nearly dinner time,” Leon stated slowly, adjusting his sword awkwardly. He probably sensed he was intruding.

“What? Merlin, how long have I been asleep?”

“Two days, sire.” 

“Why didn’t you wake me?! I should’ve gone into town today!”

“Well… the thing is… you were very tired and… I know you haven’t been sleeping… so I thought it best if I let you sleep, even after the potion’s effects faded.” Merlin finished sheepishly.

Arthur stared. 

_He really is a wonder, isn’t he?_ , a dazed part of his mind thought, admittedly quite touched that Merlin had noticed he was missing sleep in the first place. He shook it off, but the feeling remained.

“Grab me my tunic, Merlin. You’ve had too much time off,” he ordered, but the edge was gone. Merlin smiled brightly like he always did and Arthur's heart skipped a beat. 

\ / \ / \ / \ / 4 \ / \ / \ / \ /

Arthur didn’t go out with the knights very often - why waste a peaceful night at the tavern? But Merlin was going at Gwaine’s request, so Arthur obviously had to go, too, if only to make sure Merlin stayed out of trouble (for once in his life). 

That was when he realised he’d not gotten drunk in… who knows how long. At feasts, he was always careful not to consume too much alcohol, lest he accidentally make himself (and by extension, the whole of Camelot) look foolish in front of their guests. At all other times, he was busy keeping up appearances for the role he’d been born into: the heir of the throne.

The thought of getting absolutely smashed was certainly appealing (if he could forget all his duties for one night, that would be incredible), but he hadn’t planned on _actually_ getting drunk.

It was Merlin’s fault.

He knew it was suspicious that his manservant kept his tankard full the entire evening, but as he’d been feeling a slight buzz already, he’d just thought it was that Merlin was his manservant and brushed it off. It was his duty or something, right? Probably. Not like Merlin ever did his duties like he was told to.

The night had been surprisingly fun, actually. Especially when Gwaine jumped onto the table and belted out a tavern song. 

He probably got laid, that damn lucky sod.

What was that???

Arthur turned in Merlin’s arms to see what had rustled the leaves. Wind? Rabbit? Was it time for hunting? He reached for his sword, but it wasn’t there.

“M’rlin… you’re a… terrible manserv’nt.” Arthur slurred as Merlin tried to drag him closer to the castle, visibly panting. 

“Y-you can’t even get me my sword when I ask you to. I should… I should fire you.”

“And I’m sure you will, sire,” Merlin said with a small snicker, “In the morning. Get on your feet, you clotpole, I can’t drag you all the way to your chambers like this.”

“Yes, you can. I’m… ‘m telling you to. Do it, Merlin! Onward!” Arthur pointed forward unsteadily, leaning against Merlin for support as he attempted to strut his way there. 

“Good gods,” Merlin muttered, “I knew getting you drunk was a bad idea. Should’ve had one of the knights carry you.”

“No. No knights. Just you. Gwaine’s pro’bly… fucking someone. He’s useless.”

Merlin snorted. “What about Leon? Elyan? Percival? Lancelot?”

“Maybe Gwaine's fucking Percival.” Arthur nodded, agreeing with himself. “Yeah.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Don’t question me, M-Mmm’rlin, I'm the prince.”

“Okay, this isn’t working. Arms out, don’t fall on your fat arse.”

Arthur mumbled some retort but did as he was told. 

Merlin heaved him onto his back, hands under his thighs as he lifted him up into a piggy-back position. For a terrifying moment, Merlin swayed under the weight, but then the light shined into Merlin’s eyes, making them… a beautiful golden colour… It was kinda sexy, actually. Oh, he’s stable again. Good. Not good to have… broken manservant.

With that, Merlin trudged toward the castle, up the many, manymanymany steps until he decided that was a bad idea and just took him to his and Gaius’s living… thing. When did he get in Merlin’s room? Oh, his shirt’s off. Is it sex time? Wait, why was he leaving? Doesn’t he need to sleep? 

Sleep… Arthur wanted to sleep.

“M’rlin?”

“Yes, Arthur?”

“Where…” Arthur groaned as he accomplished the amazing feat of rolling on his back, “Where’re you going?”

“… To bed?”

“… Nhh… No! Unacc- acce- Not allowed! I don’t allow you!”

Merlin rolled his eyes, amused. “Goodnight, sire.”

“Wait!”

Merlin paused, hand outstretched to open the door. To leave. No, that wasn’t allowed, does Merlin ever listen?

No.

“Why d’you… Why d’you never stay?”

What did he mean by that? He didn’t really know.

“… Stay?”

“Mmh,” Arthur moaned into his pillow. His pillow wasn’t that soft, he’d need to order Merlin to get another one. In a minute. 

He never heard Merlin’s answer, for he fell into an alcohol-induced sleep.

Early in the morning, when Arthur woke up to find himself in Merlin’s room, Merlin was already there, wearing the same clothes as yesterday. The spot next to him on the bed was suspiciously warm… 

\ / \ / \ / \ / 5 \ / \ / \ / \ /

Is this what dying feels like? If so, sign Arthur off on that because this was too much of a pain in the arse.

Merlin was frantically hovering above him, searching for a wound, which he found on the outer part of Arthur’s thigh. Arthur gave a pained gasp as Merlin ripped the arrow out, tears flooding his eyes. Merlin muttered a wet apology. Blood was pooling into a puddle on the ground. Merlin turned him onto his side to try and keep as much blood inside him as possible, but Arthur kept his eyes on Merlin’s.

“It’s fine, Merlin. Leave it,” he said softly. Merlin protested, his eyes overflowing with tears. “There’s nothing you or anyone can do. Make sure Morgause is arrested, okay? Can you do that for me?”

“Morgause is dead now,” Merlin whispered, rubbing his thumbs over the side of Arthur’s face. Arthur muttered something about that being good, too, when Merlin tensed, seeming to realise something. A fierce determination washed over Merlin’s face.

“I can save you.”

“Please, Merlin, just- just hold me. Please.” Arthur begged softly.

“I can save you, please- don’t hate me.” Merlin cried, wiping his face with his sleeve. “But I’d rather you be alive and hate me.”

“What?”

Merlin held a trembling hand over Arthur’s wound, giving one last glance at Arthur’s confused and devastated face before Merlin began to… chant. Something. He was a sorcerer. Part of Arthur felt like he’d always known, but there was nothing for it now. 

The last thing Arthur saw was that golden glow in Merlin’s eyes.

\+ + + + + + 1 + + + + + +

Arthur didn’t know what to do other than pace. He went up and down the stairs, walked up and down the hallways, until he found himself in his chambers again, sitting at the table in deep thought. 

Merlin had magic.

When he’d finally awoken, wound gone and a scar left in its place, Merlin finally confessed to… to being the most powerful sorcerer… ever. Unfortunately, he’d left before Merlin could say anything else.

Merlin? _His_ Merlin? The most p…? Arthur had been dumbfounded. Merlin couldn’t even find his own backside most of the time! How could he be…? This must be a trick; Merlin would never lie to him like this. Would he? He wasn’t so sure anymore. But when Arthur remembered the fear in Merlin's voice as he’d told him, the deep sadness and resignation on his face when he’d ordered Merlin to take the week off, he knew it was true. 

He was so deep in his contemplation that he didn’t notice the door to his chambers open and close softly.

“Arthur,” Morgana called softly. Arthur turned to see Morgana there along with her maidservant, Guinevere. 

“What is it, Morgana?” Arthur sighed.

“It's about Merlin.”

“He’s not evil!” Guinevere exclaimed with passion. “He’s not! I’ll swear it, Arthur, on my own life.”

“Gwen-”

“He told you?” Arthur said, just barely keeping the hurt out of his voice. “Who else has he told? Why didn’t he trust me?”

“Well… according to Merlin, he never actually told anyone besides some girl named Freya. But Gwaine and Lancelot also know, which means that it’s safe to assume that all the knights probably know because Gwaine would’ve told Percival and Percival would’ve told the rest.” Morgana concluded, intertwining her fingers with Gwen’s not-so-discreetly and wait, what- they were courting? Since when? What?

Guinevere nodded when Morgana looked at her.

Not one to beat around the bush, Morgana stated calmly: “Arthur, I have magic as well.”

Arthur stared coldly at her.

“Were _any_ of you going to tell me?!”

“Yes.”

“When?? When I was on my deathbed?! Morgana, I grew up with you! I’ve known you all my life!”

“Arthur, you can’t _really_ expect me to trust you about something like, I don’t know, _my magic,_ which I’ve apparently had since I was brought into existence, when _you’ve_ always looked at Uther like he’d hung the moon and stars!”

Arthur huffed, realising he was on his feet. He plopped back down into his seat and rubbed his temple before sighing, letting his shoulders relax.

“I’m sorry, Morgana. I should have realised how you must have felt about him.”

“Yes, you should have,” she said with a frown.

“Arthur…” Guinevere said finally, rubbing a thumb over Morgana’s knuckles. “Do you remember Morgause?”

“Yes, of course,” Arthur relented, confused, “What about her?”

And this was when Arthur learned that Morgana was his biological sister of another mother.

“… So you’re saying that she wanted you to kill me? Why didn’t you?”

They were all sitting at his table now, Arthur at the head and the two women on his left.

“Merlin. He was the one that taught me how to control my magic and I knew that when he said he didn’t trust Morgause that I should listen to him. He’s very wise, I’ve come to find. He was right, though, she turned out to be a back-stabbing little-” Morgana seethed.

“She turned out to be evil.” Gwen interrupted. 

“He taught you?”

“Yes. Do you remember the night when my chambers went up in flames?”

“Vaguely.” Arthur hummed.

“I thought I was going insane, but Merlin told me I had been born with magic, just like him, and that my nightmares were actually visions of the future.”

“How did he know that?”

“Probably Gaius.”

Arthur thought for a little longer, then his jaw dropped when he realised…

“He could’ve humiliated me whenever he wanted to. Every time I've made fun of him, he could’ve…”

“But he didn’t. He would never do that to you, Arthur.” Gwen reassured. Arthur stared at his hands, slowly growing redder and redder around the edges as he fiddled with his thumbs. What would it be like to be completely helpless under Merlin's power-?

“Unless you want him to?” Morgana asked, entirely too smug for her own good.

“No, I don’t!”

Gwen giggled behind her hand. Morgana didn’t bother hiding hers, laughing so loudly that Arthur was worried the guards outside heard. 

“Show me your magic.” Arthur insisted, trying to steer away from that particular internal crisis (which probably was more of a realisation than a crisis).

Morgana nodded, still smirking, holding out her hand, palm up, and she whispered: _“Forbærne.”_

A small fire lit up in her palm and Arthur tried not to gape at it.

“How does your hand not get burnt?” he asked when she put the fire out by clenching her hand into a fist.

“It’s _my_ magic. It won’t hurt me,” she said confidently. 

Arthur had a lot to think about when Gwen and Morgana left. Indeed, Merlin had lied to him, but he was beginning to understand why. He couldn’t help but feel immensely guilty; all those times he had turned against magic, saying it was evil right in front of Merlin and undoubtedly _hurting_ Merlin - how could he ever apologise for such a thing?

There was still the residual sadness and anger that Merlin had not trusted him enough, but Arthur knew that before (when his father was still king) he would’ve never trusted Merlin again. Probably would’ve exiled him from Camelot.

Arthur shook his head. No, he wouldn’t do that. Even now, in his cold, empty chambers, he missed him and it's only been four days.

But he was king now. What could he do? He couldn’t kill Merlin. That was completely out of the question. But he was incredibly lost in his emotions. 

And what was that earlier? Why did he… feel so hot around the collar? The ladies certainly thought that amusing. And that was another thing! Since when were Guinevere and Morgana courting? Weren’t Morgana and Merlin…? And Guinevere and Lancelot…?

Merlin never mentioned his fondness for Morgana as much as Arthur had expected him to. Perhaps… Perhaps he read it wrong? Perhaps Merlin liked this Freya girl?

Arthur frowned when he felt that same heavy weight in his chest. He was just with Gaius and nothing was wrong with him then. Was it really sorcery? Had Merlin enchanted him? No, he wouldn’t do that. But maybe Merlin would know how to fix it?

There was that hot warmth again at the thought of… Merlin using his magic on him… Hang on, was he? Did he… like Merlin?

Okay, that was enough! He needed to see Merlin immediately.

“What do you mean he’s _gone?!”_ Arthur exclaimed, his entire body freezing up with panic and fear and-

Fear? No. That wasn’t possible. Must be something else.

“Not to worry, sire, he’d only taken a trip to the… um… to the tavern-”

“No! I’m here, Arthur, not at the tavern.” Merlin blurted, popping his head up from underneath the table, nearly bumping his head against the edge of it.

"Merlin! What… what are you doing under there?"

“Uh… I was just… cleaning the floor.”

Gaius and Merlin nodded. Arthur nodded slowly in agreement, but he wasn’t entirely convinced.

“Well, I need to talk to you.” Arthur cleared his throat. “Alone.”

“Right, I have errands to do,” Gaius said, leaving the room despite Merlin’s protests.

Arthur could feel the awkwardness seeping into the air and he hated it.

“Were you going to tell me?” he began.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“When you… legalized magic.”

“I haven’t done that.”

“No, you haven’t,” Merlin said softly. Arthur sighed, sitting at the table. Merlin scrambled up to sit across from him. 

This was starting to feel like an interrogation, but there was nothing Arthur could do about that.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Arthur looked at the table, not wanting to look Merlin in the eye.

“I was… afraid. But Arthur, I only ever used it for you-”

“And you taught Morgana?”

“Y-Yes. She told you that?”

“Yes.”

Arthur was silent for a moment.

“So you’re… the most powerful…?”

“Apparently?”

“Show me.”

Merlin nodded, bringing his closed hand up to his mouth, where he whispered something, eyes turning into that molten gold colour. He held out his hand and when he opened it, a tiny red rose lay there in the centre.

Arthur couldn’t get over the shock. He’d seen magic performed before, obviously, but to see it up close was entirely different and it was kind of… exciting. His father had always kept this sort of thing much farther than arm's length away. 

And it was _Merlin's_ magic. That made it strangely special. 

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why be a servant, Merlin? You could’ve been… I don’t know, doing anything other than serving me. Why?”

“Because I needed to… I wanted to stay with you. To protect you. And… Yeah.” Merlin finished lamely, but the sentiment was the same.

“And how many times have you…?”

“Quite a lot, actually.” Merlin started laughing, hiding his face in his hands, much to Arthur’s surprise. “Sorry, sorry, this is just… strange. To be finally telling you and you’re not even angry with me. Wait- you’re… you’re not, right?”

Was Arthur angry with Merlin?

The sadness was diminishing the longer he sat there with Merlin, and he certainly was dealing with this revelation that _Merlin was a sorcerer,_ and he had been a sorcerer _right under his father’s nose._ All for… him. He constantly risked his life for _Arthur._

The final question really was this: could he trust Merlin?

… Yes. Always.

“No, I’m not angry, Merlin. I don’t think I could ever be angry at you. You’ve saved my life countless times and I will forever owe you for it. Thank you for always… being there. I do think I need you to help me with something, though.”

“Yes, of course, what do you need, Arthur?”

Merlin looked so relieved that he would’ve probably agreed to anything Arthur asked of him and… that was… certainly a dangerous thought. 

Gods, he really needed to talk to Morgana again. What was this? 

Arthur briefly thought of what it might be like to court Merlin and he definitely didn’t feel… opposed to the idea. Quite the opposite actually.

Wait. Merlin was starting to look worried. Say something, Arthur. 

Arthur shook himself. “Can you help me draft a repeal of the magic ban?”

Arthur was pacing. Why was he pacing? It probably had to do with the fact that _oh, yeah, Merlin doesn’t love Morgana and he never did and maybe Arthur loved Merlin and Morgana if you seriously start laughing I will never look to you for advice ever again-_

“Just talk to him. I’m sure he’d love to court you,” she said instead.

“But _how?”_ Arthur stressed. Gods… Why now? Why was everything stressing him out right _now?_

Because first, he wasn’t sure how the repeal was going to go with the council _or_ the people. Was he doing the right thing by making peace with the druids? Would Merlin hate him if he attempted to court him? How would the people react if he had a male consort and no queen?

“Okay, first of all, you need to take a deep breath before you kill yourself,” Morgana ordered.

Arthur let out a shuddering breath that he’d been holding, feeling no less anxious. 

“Now talk to me.”

Arthur then blurted out many, many questions. Some of them horribly laughable, some of them not. Morgana took it all in stride.

“How did you start courting Guinevere? Did you feel this way? Would telling him my feelings for him _now_ be too soon, since he’d only just told me about his magic? What would the people think of me for courting a servant? Who will be Queen? What-”

“Shh, Arthur, sit and have some grapes,” she said.

Arthur sat and she pushed a bowl of grapes towards him, which he instantly started shoving into his mouth.

“So, while you’ve been worrying your sorry arse off, I’ve had a talk with Gwen. I think we’ve come to a solution.”

Merlin was ecstatic about the change of events. He’d always been so afraid that he would be burnt alive - a fate no one should have to endure, surely - but Arthur had forgiven him. He even had his job back!

Now that _that_ weight was off his chest, the second he’d been carrying took over. Honestly, it wasn’t his fault that he’d loved Arthur for… probably four years or something. He didn’t keep track anymore. 

Now that he thought of it, that was a really long time to pine for someone. Shouldn’t he have moved on by now as he did with Freya? (Although… he will never forget her. He does miss her.)

But anyway, Merlin was growing a little suspicious. Arthur was obviously keeping something from him. Even the knights were acting strange. They would all smile knowingly, nudging him on the shoulder before continuing on with their duties like nothing had happened. 

Maybe Arthur was just stressed about the upcoming announcement of the repeal? That was probably it.

Or not.

Morgana grabbed him by the arm, tugging him into an alcove. She didn’t even say anything when he asked what was wrong, just shoved a slip of parchment at him. It read in Arthur’s handwriting: _Come to the forest at first light. Don’t be late._

Merlin started to worry that something was wrong, but he’d have to wait until tonight to find out.

“I don’t know why you insisted on the wildflowers,” Morgana commented.

Arthur didn’t reply, scanning the area to try and pick out any imperfections in their set up.

“I didn’t know you could be such a romantic, Arthur.”

“Oh, shut up. Do you think everything is ready? And you’re sure the food will keep?”

“Yes and yes. Relax, Arthur, you’ll turn into stone before he even shows up.”

Arthur exhaled, attempting to be rid of his increasing anxiety by breathing it out into the air. It didn’t work. 

“Here,” Morgana took his arm, leading him over to where the wine was. “If you don’t relax, you’ll probably mess up all my hard work, so just drink and try to think of something else for a while.”

Morgana popped open the bottle and poured it into one of the glasses. Arthur took a large gulp of the deep red liquid, licking his lips, and his shoulders finally slumped in relief.

“Thank you, Morgana. I owe you.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sky turn from navy blue to pink and purple to yellow-orange, while Arthur slowly eased his nervous thoughts until he was relatively composed again.

“I think that’s my cue to leave.” Morgana finally said as the sun started to peek through the leaves of the trees. “Tell me how it goes. Or maybe don’t, I’ll probably be able to hear,” she smirked at him, leading to Arthur throwing a clump of grass at her.

“Shut up, I’m the king of Camelot, I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Right. See you tomorrow, lover boy.” 

Arthur shook his head with a grin and then he was well and truly alone. 

Gods, what if he was reading this wrong? Were the flowers from all those years ago actually a joke and he was too stupid and hopeful to realise? He didn’t want to lose Merlin. Would Merlin even be able to look him in the eye after this? He hoped so. Arthur really, really liked the colour of Merlin’s eyes.

The sound of a twig snapping jolted him from his thoughts, his spine straightening in anticipation. A few seconds later, Merlin appeared, looking worried, which quickly morphed into confusion. Oh gods, was that sadness, too? 

“Arthur? What’s going on? Who are you setting this up for?” Merlin asked, wringing his hands. Arthur hurriedly cleared his throat, making sure to hide the bunch of wildflowers he’d picked earlier behind his back. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. This was rapidly going downhill, especially as Merlin shifted uncomfortably, looking so despondent and _gods damn it, Arthur, SAY SOMETHING!_

But instead of saying anything, Arthur thrust out the hand holding the bunch of purple wildflowers, hoping that Merlin would understand. 

“Do you need me to trim those?” Merlin asked.

Arthur nearly groaned with frustration.

“No.”

“Then what-?”

“They’re for you,” Arthur interrupted. “If- er- if you want them.”

 _Why isn’t he saying anything?,_ Arthur thought frantically. _Please say something, Merlin, anything at all, just put me out of my misery for real this time-_

“Oh,”

_How eloquent of you, Merlin. That doesn’t tell me anything!_

“Yes. If… if you want. Do you…?”

_Please just take these stupid flowers._

“I… this isn’t a joke is it?”

“No, of course not.”

“Ah. So this is…?”

“Yes, this is all for… for you. I hope everything is… to your liking?”

“Oh- yes, I- wow.” Merlin finally decided to take the damn flowers Arthur was holding out, leaving Arthur to awkwardly tuck his arm back at his side. “This- I certainly wasn’t expecting this today.”

“What were you expecting?” Arthur asked, trying to crush the weird fluttery feeling when he realised _Merlin had accepted the flowers, maybe not all is lost!_ Maybe Merlin really did like him back?

Gods, Arthur sounded like a little school girl. This was ridiculous. Thank goodness Morgana had left, she would’ve started laughing at him for how inept he was.

His father was probably rolling in his grave by now.

“Well, honestly, I thought you were bringing me here to tell me that you had changed your mind about the magic ban,” Merlin admitted and there was that smile again. Arthur finally relaxed for the first time that night - actually, it was day now. 

“I hope this didn’t turn out to be too disappointing.” Arthur joked and Merlin laughed.

“Not at all. Are those grapes?”

Arthur and Merlin talked about everything and nothing, finally out of the constant formal setting inside the castle and free to just be themselves for a little while. They ate and drank (the food did keep, thankfully), leaning against each other as they laughed. 

But there was one thing that Arthur had to be sure of…

“Merlin?”

“Yes?”

“Does this mean you’ll be my consort? You don’t have to be my manservant anymore, of course. Maybe I can set up a position called the court sorcerer, or maybe-”

“Yes, I’d love to be your consort, Arthur.” Merlin grinned.

A positively radiant smile broke out on Arthur’s face and he’d never felt lighter than he did now, holding Merlin’s hand in his. By his side, he felt ready to face the world. 


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into the future: the beginning of change in Camelot.

“ _Mer_ lin, hurry up, we’ll be late!” Arthur scolded, trying to shove on his trousers and his tunic at the same time. 

“Yes, _sire,_ do hurry up.” Merlin snorted, already fully dressed for the day.

“Shut up, clotpole.”

“That’s my word!”

“And it suits you perfectly.”

“You’re a dollophead.”

“Your dollophead?”

Merlin sighed dramatically, “If it must be so.”

Arthur slinked his arm around Merlin’s waist, leaning in to kiss him. 

“How angry do you think the council members would be if I kissed you in front of them?” he muttered against Merlin’s lips. 

“They’d probably explode and then force you off the throne somehow.” 

“Excellent. Let’s go.”

Arthur grabbed Merlin’s hand and led him through the halls of the castle, nodding to the people that greeted them. As usual, the halls of the castle were bustling, everyone hurrying to get their work done so they _might_ be able to catch some much needed downtime. 

Such hard work seemed well suited for the time of year. Many things were going to change now, after all. The thing Arthur was probably most excited about was Merlin finally moving into his chambers, but no one would ever know that. Probably. He wasn’t that obvious, was he? He hoped not. Morgana wouldn’t stop teasing about him looking like a ‘lovesick puppy’. She was obviously wrong by default, though, because she was his sister.

On another note, Merlin and Morgana had also talked to the druids and they had convinced them to come to Camelot as guests, which was… interesting. Arthur had been told that they would prefer an _outside_ welcoming feast. No other guest had requested such a thing before, so Arthur was still trying to figure out how that was going to work. But he should probably wait on making any permanent decisions until he informed the council about… literally everything.

Arthur didn’t particularly look forward to the meeting, but duty calls. He, Merlin, Morgana, and Guinevere had been working on drafting a repeal of the magic ban for quite some time now, so it was about time they presented it to the council anyway. (Who knew that such things would be so _complicated?_ It was easy to say that murder, arson, and theft by use of magic was illegal, but what about the grey areas like “I cursed my neighbours into silence because they were being too annoying”?)

Anyway, all that mattered was that the draft existed and could be somewhat functional. Now he just had to convince everyone. If he remained firm in his beliefs _hopefully…_ he would get a unanimous agreement. Emphasis on the ‘hopefully’. But that was a very big ‘if’.

Merlin squeezed his hand when they finally reached the doors to the meeting room. Taking a deep breath, Arthur looked over at Merlin. Sometimes he disbelieved that this was actually happening, that this was some wonderful dream. 

Merlin was wearing his neckerchief as always (a purple one), and instead of his tattered old clothes, Arthur was happy to see he was wearing the ones he’d bought him. They fit him a lot better and they were far softer to the touch, which Merlin had obviously liked. (That gift had certainly been… very well received.)

“Ready?” Merlin asked. Arthur brought Merlin’s hand up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss against his knuckles.

“Ready,”

The doors were thrown open wide to reveal the council members, who were conversing amongst themselves. Morgana and Guinevere were speaking in low tones off to the side, inconspicuous enough in their corner that none of the council took any notice of them.

Arthur let go of Merlin’s hand (for now) because he really didn’t want to freak out the council _too_ much. Too much shock and they would probably go running for the hills, which wasn’t ideal. 

(Speaking of the council and _trusted_ advisors, Agravaine had been exiled from Camelot after Arthur had found out he was working for Morgause, which was around when Merlin healed Arthur with his magic. Funny how these things work, right?) 

The council’s endless drivel was mostly gossip from around the castle, such as:

“Did you hear that one of the maids ran away with a stable boy? The scandal!”

“On the contrary, I think it was about time. That girl was in her prime.”

“Hm, indeed. Tart?”

“Yes, thank you.”

There was also debate on what the meeting was about. Arthur wasn’t exactly surprised by this as he hadn’t told the council what the meeting was for yet. (That was actually a slight lie; Arthur had merely told them it was for ‘important matters of state’ and that they should keep an ‘open mind to the proceedings’. Arthur bet they wouldn’t be able to guess even close to the truth.)

“Is everyone here? Good! Let’s begin.” Arthur said in greeting as he made his way over to the head of the table.

There was difficulty getting started with the meeting as the council felt it necessary to debate on petty things (like the average amount of cattle compared to pigs), but eventually, Gaius managed to get everyone under control with that eyebrow raise of his. Geoffrey was very amused by that. But now all their attention was on Arthur. No pressure at all. 

Arthur cleared his throat and began: “The first and most important thing I would like to address is the repeal of a ban that has been in place for quite some time now. Keep in mind that I make this decision after much contemplation and, more importantly, with the happiness of the people in mind.”

He paused, trying to smack down his nervousness with pure force of will. There were some shuffles, but otherwise, it was completely silent, the air beginning to grow in intensity. 

Nope, no pressure at all.

“What I speak of is the repeal of the magic ban my father put in place during his reign.”

Cue the backlash. Arthur had certainly been expecting this, but he was still somewhat surprised at how _much_ they seemed to oppose the idea. But he stood his ground, taking whatever they said with a grain of salt. Gaius kept arguing with Todrod. Geoffrey was trying to back Gaius up with historical evidence from earlier records, but Todrod was just one of those people that didn’t listen to any other opinion than his own.

Eventually, it got to the point where they were plain out insulting him, telling him how disappointed his father would be in him, which, yes, is true, but Arthur had to put his foot down.

“Alright, that’s enough! Everyone take a seat. This is a matter in which I will not be convinced of changing my mind. Now, unless you have any further objections, I will accept questions, one person at a time. Then I will move onto reading out the draft for the repeal. If anyone has suggestions for changes in the draft, there will be a chance afterwards to express your opinion in a _professional_ manner.” Arthur said in the most authoritative voice he could muster. 

Why was being king so exhausting all the time?

* * *

It must have been hours before the meeting came to a close. Merlin was honestly exhausted, so he couldn’t even imagine how worn down Arthur must feel. Perhaps they could take a nap later if Arthur would let Merlin lead him to bed. 

But so many things had happened within those few hours. Some of it had even surprised Merlin (but not Gaius, Merlin didn’t think Gaius _could_ be surprised by anything). 

Arthur had read out the draft the four of them had worked so hard on, which took a majority of the time as people kept interrupting, despite the many times Arthur told them to wait until he was finished. 

Todrod had certainly been a stick in the mud. He would keep arguing against everything Arthur said, the most infuriating part being when the old man started saying that magic only corrupted people's souls. Which was absolutely _not_ true, just look at Morgana! And him! If the man wasn’t going to accept the truth, which was presented very _plainly_ before his eyes, then he was already a hopeless case. 

Oh- right. Yes. They had exposed Morgana and himself as sorcerers at the very end to make a nice closing to the meeting. Morgana’s speech had truly been awe-inspiring, actually; it had completely shut Todrod up, enough that they could put an end to the meeting in an orderly fashion. Only before they informed everyone that Merlin was Arthur’s consort, of course… That had been very… eventful. 

_“My consort, who I have yet to present to the council, is also a very powerful sorcerer. And he is the kindest, bravest, and the most loyal person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Merlin,” Arthur held out his hand and Merlin smiled nervously, taking it and he stumbled closer to the table._

_No one said anything for a moment, but then a council member named Gahelleas sprung up from his spot, pointing a triumphant finger at another named Begal._

_“HAH! I was right! You owe me twenty gold coins!”_

_“Oh, go run yourself over, Gahelleas,” Begal grumbled, rustling through his pockets for his spare coin._

_“But- But he’s just a manservant!” Todrod sputtered, but mostly everyone elected to ignore it._

_“You lied to me, Gaius! You said they weren’t! Gods damn it, now I have to take care of Florice’s chores for another month.” another council member groaned._

_Gaius only smirked. Merlin honestly had no idea what was going on, but at least people weren’t yelling at him?_

_Arthur cleared his throat before continuing: “As for the matter of having a queen, Morgana, Guinevere, and I have figured out a solution. Guinevere will take her place on the throne. As for an heir, I’m sure there are plenty of options to choose from-”_

_“But the Pendragon line must stay alive! How are you to conceive an heir when you do not court a lady? And this servant girl cannot be the_ Queen of Camelot!”

_Morgana looked a bit miffed at this, but Gwen took it in stride._

_“We’ll figure it out in due time, Todrod, but I trust Guinevere, and she is a very wise woman. For now, I need advice on the welcoming ceremony for the druids after the ban is removed. They have requested an outside feast, perhaps it will be like a picnic?”_

_It was probably at this point that Merlin realised Arthur had forgotten to mention that the druids had been invited altogether._

This is going to be a long day _, Merlin mourned._

It had turned out fine in the end, though. Well, Gaius had certainly been helpful, and he had suggested one or two things for the draft. Gahelleas had just wanted to know when the wedding was, which wasn’t necessarily helpful, but it certainly made Morgana’s laugh echo throughout (probably) the entirety of the castle. 

But Todrod was very annoying. Arthur agreed with him. Todrod was definitely going to be replaced at some point. 

* * *

Arthur was… nervous. Why was he nervous? He was never nervous. That’s just… ridiculous. Kings can’t get nervous.

Can they?

“You know, you’re going to have to start breathing at some point.” Merlin pointed out at lunch. Arthur tried to ignore the fact that _Merlin reached over and intertwined their fingers like the romantic sap he was-_

“I’m the King of Camelot, I don’t need to listen to you.”

Merlin snorted, popping a piece of bread into his mouth. “Right, do you want more wine to go with your ‘kingliness,’ sire?” 

“Stop trying to be funny, Merlin.”

Merlin grinned, reaching over to pour more wine into Arthur’s goblet.

“I hope it doesn’t go too badly today.” Arthur finally confessed.

“I’m sure it won’t.” Merlin reassured, “There will be plenty of people that will be relieved. Some might be angry, yes, but there’s always going to be people angry at you for no reason. They’re probably just jealous, honestly.”

“Why, because I’m the king?”

“No, because you’re a royal _prat.”_

Arthur threw a grape at him. 

* * *

Arthur had had a long time to think about how today was going to go, so he didn’t think it necessary to keep worrying. Merlin was right (surprisingly). The repeal of the magic ban would ultimately make the kingdom more diverse. The oppression of magic had probably been the key fault of his father’s reign, and he was going to change that today. 

So as he stood in front of the thousands of people that made up Camelot, Arthur had already pushed all the worries from his thoughts. He needed to have a clear mind for something as delicate as this, and he’d be damned if he messed it up for something stupid like that.

“I have called this meeting to address a major change I’ve decided to implement. Some of you might have noticed some of the guards taking down my father’s warning posters against magical folk. It is because, as of today, the ban on magic has been repealed from now on, as long as I am king. I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, say this.” 

There was a terrifying silence that followed. Everyone seemed to be looking at each other, some of them in fear and others trying to find others that shared their feelings. But then, there was a shout from the middle:

“Hell, yes! I’ll never wash the laundry by hand ever again!”

“Yeah!” everyone shouted. 

As the people took to this announcement in a celebratory manner, Arthur finally let himself breathe out a sigh of relief, looking over at Merlin, who stood not too far from his side. Merlin nodded, looking incredibly proud of him, so much so that Arthur began to feel it, too.

* * *

The welcoming feast for the druids was very stressful, but they managed to pull it off. Aglain was still slightly wary (he had requested the outside feast so they wouldn’t be completely at Arthur’s mercy, after all), but he eased up. Eventually, everyone was slightly tipsy, some dancing around the meadow that had been chosen for the occasion. The knights were attempting to see who could run around with another person on their shoulders the quickest. It probably wasn’t entirely safe, but no one had died yet, so that was fine.

Guinevere and Morgana were there, having just announced that they were engaged a week or so ago. Gwen was making flower crowns for everyone at this point, and Morgana wore hers proudly, giving Gwen a kiss to show her appreciation. The purple flowers perfectly matched the dress she’d chosen for the occasion, actually, and Gwen was wearing one with little white daisies. 

The children seemed to like the flower crowns the best out of everyone there, so Gwen had taken to teaching some of them how to make one. There was a familiar-looking druid boy, now in his adolescence, who was proudly showing his flower crown to Aglain. Merlin had made eye contact with Mordred for a split second, and while they didn’t say anything, they exchanged a nod of acknowledgement. 

Then Merlin had shoved a flower crown made of little lavender flowers onto Arthur’s head, which obviously meant that Arthur had the right to force Merlin to wear one, too. Merlin had only laughed, grabbing his hand and leading him away from the edges of the clearing for a dance. 

People of all classes mingled together in harmony and it was the most beautiful thing Arthur had ever seen. Well- almost the most beautiful. Arthur was suddenly struck with the familiar thought that he had been enchanted, but the longer he looked at the pure joy on Merlin’s face, he knew it couldn’t be so bad. (Merlin didn’t even have a neckerchief on, _someone please send help, Arthur Pendragon was going to explode._ Arthur was only a mortal man, after all! Merlin should really be wary of these sorts of things!)

“You’re a nuisance, Merlin,” Arthur grumbled, the tips of his ears burning. 

“Your nuisance?”

Arthur struggled to restrain his smile, but he failed spectacularly when Merlin leaned over to kiss his cheek. 

“If it must be so.” he sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Gwen and Morgana had a summer wedding, outside in the shade so they could still enjoy the sunshine while not getting too hot. The druids were invited, of course. 
> 
> \- When Guinevere took her place as Queen, Morgana also became court sorceress and Merlin would sometimes advise her on things. Eventually Arthur just created two court sorcerer positions because that was BASICALLY what Merlin was anyway. (That doesn't mean that Merlin stopped taking care of Arthur, though... Old habits die hard.)
> 
> \- Merlin ended up proposing to Arthur, who threw a candlestick at him because he was going to propose first, gods damn it, Merlin! (After that, Morgana endlessly bothered Arthur with pointless wedding preparations just to annoy him.)
> 
> \- It was a spring wedding. They definitely had plenty of lavender and violet flowers. Kilgharrah and Aithusa were invited, along with people from all across the realm to celebrate their joining. Kilgharrah and Aithusa blew fire into the sky as faux-fireworks when Merlin and Arthur kissed.
> 
> And then they lived happily ever after. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always welcome :)


End file.
